‘Numerous occasions’ – Nathan Jones makes Charlton Athletic outgoings transfer window admission

Nathan Jones has revealed that Charlton Athletic turned down bids on ‘numerous occasions’ for members of his squad during the January transfer window.

The Addicks completed two deadline days signings, bringing in loanees Alex Gilbert from Middlesbrough and Tom McIntyre from Portsmouth.

Lloyd Jones signed a new deal during last month. Miles Leaburn, Theirry Small and Tyreece Campbell also all remained at The Valley beyond the February 3 deadline.

“If you want to evaluate a window completely, we will be really honest,” Jones told the club website.

“The one negative thing is that we would have liked to get one more top-quality wide man to add competition.

“That wasn’t possible to do. 

“But we have managed to streamline the squad, which makes the environment better.

“We’ve also been able to let people go out on loan like Nathan Asiimwe and Zach Mitchell, and make real structured decisions around those, where we’ve said: ‘If they aren’t going to get the regular game time here then let’s let them get good game time.’

“The big thing for us, which should never be understated, is how strong we’ve been in the window in terms of keeping hold of our own players.

“We have been tested on numerous occasions from teams higher up the pyramid that have wanted our players.

“I thank the board and the owners – they have been really strong on that and they have fended off everyone. 

“Maybe in the past it would have been a lot easier to have just cashed in, but we haven’t – we have seen the long-term value.

“That’s why it’s been a really productive window. It’s all well and good bringing in a load of players, but if you have already got that quality in the club, and it’s coverted, the priority is to keep it.”

PICTURE: PAUL EDWARDS